The Met Office warned of further snow showers expected tonight while Londoners were told to brace themselves ahead of Storm Emma due to hit the capital tomorrow, bringing snow blizzards, gales and sleet.

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Temperatures will plummet to minus 7C in parts of London tonight but there will be severe wind chill tomorrow as 40mph gusts blast the region when Storm Emma is predicted to bring snow blizzards, gales and sleet.

It will struggle to get above freezing in the capital tomorrow as the Met Office warned of “prolonged periods of snow” and possibly the coldest day in March on record.

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A red weather alert was also issued by the Met Office for parts of Scotland between 3pm today and 10am Thursday morning.

The Arctic weather, thought to have brought London the most snow since 2009, has seen more 30cm of snow dumped in some parts of the UK causing crashes which have left four people dead.

Three women, believe to be in their 30s or 40s, were killed yesterday in Baston, Lincolnshire, and a man died during in a crash that involved three vehicles on the A47 near Peterborough.

Essex police said one person was injured in a 17-car pile-up on the A120 near Colchester.

Multiple collisions were reported across London’s roads throughout Wednesday.

A crash on the North Circular Road between Redbridge Flyover and the M11 blocked one lane shortly after lunchtime, causing tailbacks.

And a collision on the Victoria Embankment at the junction of Northumberland Avenue also caused delays.

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The worst hit areas across the UK were Kent, East Anglia and north-east England but problems were spreading.

The RAC had its busiest day in 10 years on Tuesday with 9,500 call-outs, but believes this figure could be topped on Wednesday as conditions worsen.

In Yorkshire, the A61 was shut between Harrogate and Skipton due to the conditions, while further north, in Durham, the A66 was closed between the A1M and A685.

The A1 in Durham was also closed between Scotch Corner and Catterick after a lorry jackknifed.

Highways England said the A1 in Cambridgeshire had to be shut due to severe weather, between the A1M and A6121 at Tinwell.

A number of lorries jackknifed and vehicles were caught in queues for more than three hours.

In Norfolk, police also reported roads being blocked due to lorries and cars becoming stuck in the snow, including the A11 southbound at Wymondham and the A143 at Haddiscoe.

Public Health England (PHE) has urged people to plan ahead to ensure they have enough food and medicine.

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There were cancellations of flights departing or arriving at Heathrow, with British Airways axing at least 103 services on mostly short haul routes.

London City Airport saw at least 98 flights cancelled. An additional six inbound flights were diverted or returned to their departure airports.

Gatwick Airport said flights were arriving and departing, but some flights were disrupted.